Sewing machine



F. ASHWORTH SEWING MACHINE March 13, 1934.

Filed June 4, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Iavenbr mine as March 13, 1934. F ASHWQRTH I 1,950,386

SEWING momma Filed June 4, 1932 2 Sheetls-Sheet 2 42 22S I 47 13 is 4/36 Witness Ivan/i01 ?aiented Mar. 13, 1934 EJNETED STATES PATENT SEWING MACHINE Fred Ashworth, Beverly, Mass.,

assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. 3., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 4, 1932, Serial No. 615,382

5 Claims.

, sole part of a moccasin.

A true moccasin consists of but two pieces, a top or tongue part, sometimes called the slug, and a side and sole part, secured together by a U'shaped seam around the upper surface of the toe, comprising threads passed through the edges of both parts. The heel end is formed by cutting out a section at the rear of the side and sole part and sewing the edges together. The side and sole part is all one piece without joints, and extends entirely around the bottom of the moccasin, so that the only passage through which access may be obtained to support the interior of the moccasin is by the ankle opening. For this reason the sewing of a true moccasin is more difficult than that of a moccasin type or other shoe in which the sole is attached subsequent to sewing the upper together. To uniformly obtain the proper shape, the parts are preferably shaped upon a last or other form, and unless the stitching is done directly on the last, the edges of the parts are temporarily held together by any suitable means, such as cement, while the last is withdrawn. It is desirable to bevel the edges of the top part and of the side and sole part so that, when the bevel surfaces of the adjoining edges are permanently secured in contact, a tightly sealed seam results, and it is also desirable, when the edges are beveled, to pass the stitches through substantially the full thickness of both, as close as possible to the shoulders formed between the surfaces of the bevels and the inside surfaces of the abutting parts.

The object of the present invention is to provide a machine for sewing moccasins by which the beveled edges of the previously shaped side and sole part and of the top part may permanently be secured together by stitches passing through the edges at the shoulders of the bevels in a reliable and uniform manner, after removal of the moccasin from the last, on which it was shaped without requiring the services of an operator of more than average skill and ability.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention contemplates the provision in a maccasin sewing machine having a work supporting horn with work engaging surfaces disposed at an angle to each other, of a rotatable mounting for the horn on the machine to permit swinging of the moccasin about an approximately vertical axis while supported with the horn extending through stitch-forming devices, as shown in Figure 1 the ankle opening, the horn having a presser at its end formed with curved work engaging surfaces, the centers of which are fixed relative to the horn to coincide with the axis of horn rotation and to support the work evenly in any posi- 69 the apex of the angle formed by the work engaging 70 surfaces of the work support, and in order to prevent interference with the stitch-forming devices by the presser as it engages the work within the angle formed thereby, the outer edge of the presser disk is formed as a cylindrical surface between its conical surfaces. The horn may also be pivotally mounted to swing about a horizontal axis in order to move the presser toward and away from the work support, and mechanism is provided, in the machine hereinafter described, for operating it in timed relation to permit easy feeding of the work. As a further insurance against conflict between the presser and the stitch-forming devices, according to the present construction, a stop is arranged between the horn and the machine frame to limit the approach of the presser.

In addition to the features of invention above referred to, the present invention also consists of certain novel devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of the front part of a machine embodying the several features of the invention, the supporting column and parts at the rear of the machine being broken away or omitted; Figure 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the mechanism for operating the work supporting horn; Figure 3 is a plan view of the presser at the end of the horn, indicated in operative relation to the work supporting and Figure 4 is a perspective of the toe portion of a moccasin, the parts of which are adapted to be secured by the machine hereinafter described.

In the drawings, the invention is illustrated as embodied in a sewing machine which, except as 119 hereinafter indicated, is similar to the outsole shoe sewing machine disclosed in applicants prior Patent No. 1,169,909, granted February 1, 1916. This machine is a curved hook needle machine having its thread handling devices constructed and arranged to form a lock stitch. The curved hook needle of the machine is indicated at 2, the curved awl at 4, the rotary hook which passes the needle loop over the bobbin case at 6, and the loop spreader which engages one side of the needle loop and moves it into position to be engaged by the rotary hook at 8. The carriers for supporting the needle and awl are concentric with each other, and are arranged so that the needle enters the work from above through a perforation formed by the awl entering from below. Oscillating movements are imparted to the needle and awl through suitable connections from the driving shafts 12 and 14. The needle operates in a fixed vertical plane. The awl is arranged to move laterally while in the work in order to feed the work between the times of engagement of the needle with the work, one of the levers through which the awl carrier is actuated to move the awl laterally being indicated at 16. The parts thus described, and the other stitchforming and work feeding devices with their actuating mechanisms, are the same as in the machine of the patent referred to.

In embodying the present invention in the illustrated machine, a work supporting horn having a curved presser attached at its free end is pivotally mounted on the machine to rotate about an approximately vertical axis to enable the machine to be utilized in sewing together the top part and the side and sole part of a moccasin, as illustrated in Figure 4. As illustrated, the top piece of the moccasin is indicated at 18, and the side and sole part at 20. In the manufacture of a shoe of any other type, the different parts of the entire upper are stitched together to approximate the right shape before the sole is applied, so that the formation of the upper seams presents no particular difficulty. Before the parts of a true moccasin may be sewed together, the side and sole part of a single piece of leather must be shaped upon a last to form a continuous enclosure from one side of the moccasinv around the bottom and up the other side. The top piece 18 is then located in proper relation, and the adjoining beveled edges of the two parts positioned so that the acute angle portions between the surfaces of the bevel and the outside surfaces of the parts are exposed. Any suitable means, such as cement, may be used for holding the parts temporarily in position, after which the last is removed, and the moccasin thus formed is ready for the sewing operation. After sewing, the stitches of the seam act to bind the beveled surfaces closely together in alinement, producing a tight and uniform seam, and since the machine operates to form a lock stitch, a single thread appears upon the surface, and the seam cannot be distinguished from a hand sewn seam.

The work support of the machine, as indicated at 22, is of the same construction as that described in my co-pending application for U. S. patent Serial No. 521,124, filed March 9, 1931, for a sewing machine adapted for forming a seam between the top part and side part of a moccasin type shoe. The work support consists of a block secured by means of screws 24 to an intermediate block 26 secured by a screw 28 to the under side of the bracket 10 on the machine frame. To support the beveled edges of the top part 18 and of the side and sole part 20 in the proper position with relation to each other and to the needle and awl, the work support is provided with work supporting surfaces 30 and 32 which extend in the direction in which the work is fed, and which are arranged at an angle of substantially with relation to each other. The surfaces are so positioned with relation to the path of the needle that the needle passes across the line formed by the apex of the angle between these surfaces, and at such a distance from the apex toward the front of the machine, that the threads pass through the edges of the top part and of the side and sole part substantially at the shoulders between the bevel surfaces and the inner surfaces of the parts. To enable the needle and awl to penetrate the work and the awl to feed the work, the work support is slotted, as at 34, similar to the work support described in the above identified application.

According to a feature of the present invention the presser, indicated at 36, is formed as a disk with conical work engaging surfaces and is rotatably mounted on the free end of a horn 38. The horn is pivotally mounted on the machine to turn freely about an axis at substantially right angles to the line formed by the apex of the angularly disposed Work engaging surfaces of the work support. For convenience in manipulating the moccasin, the'horn is curved to extend downwardly and rearwardly toward the work support. The presser 36 is so mounted on the horn that the centers of the conical work engaging surfaces lie in alinement with the pivotal axis of the horn, and the slopes of the conical surfaces of the presser disk are so formed that the portions of .the presser which engage the work at any one time lie parallel to the work engaging surfaces of the work support. When thus arranged, the presser, as it forces the work against the work support, provides a firm and uniform grip regardless of the angular position of the horn on the machine. The moccasin may be supported with the horn projecting through the ankle opening of the moccasin, and the horn rotated during operation of the machine without affecting the gripping pressure on the edges of the parts.

In order not to interfere with the feeding movement of the work in the machine as the horn is turned about its pivotal axis, the presser disk 36 is mounted to rotate freely at the end of the horn on a pivot 40 passing through the reduced and beveled ends of a pair of plates 42 bolted to the free end of the horn. The pivot 40 passes through the center of the circular presser disk, so that rotation of the disk will not affect the pressure of the disk against the work as the horn is rotated, and the disk may be fluted to prevent sliding of its surfaces along the work.

The connection of the horn with the machine, according to the construction illustrated, comprises a bracket 44 secured to the machine frame by a bolt 46 passing through two sides of the bracket and through a portion of the frame surrounded by the bracket. The front of the bracket is formed with an extension 50 having laterally extending ears 52. I The horn is supported on the bracket 44 by means of a yoke 54 surrounding the extension 50 and carrying pointed set screws 56 and 58 engaging correspondin ly shaped openings in the ears 52 of the extension, so that the yoke 54 may pivot about the centers of the screws. The position of the yoke laterally on the machine may be adjusted by turning the screws and locking them in adjusted position. The screw 56 may be locked by a clamp bolt 60, and the screw 58 by a suitable lock nut 62. The yoke 54 carries an upwardly extending boss 64 arranged at right angles to the axis of the pivot screws 56 and 58. The upper and lower ends of the boss are chambered to receive the pointed ends of a pair of set screws 66 and 68 threaded into portions of the horn 38 which surround the boss 64 and fitted within the correspondingly shaped chambers at the ends of the boss. These set screws form a means for pivotally mounting the horn to swing about a substantially vertical axis, and the screws 66 and 68 are positioned in alinement with the pivot on which the presser disk 36 rotates at the other end of the horn. The vertical position of the horn may be suitably varied by adjustment of the screws 66 and 68 and the position fixed by lock nuts threaded on the respective screws.

The presser disk 36 is operated to grip and release the work intermittently during the sewing operation, in order that the work may be fed more easily through the machine, by a series of connections between the yoke 54 and a cam carried by the driving shaft 14, which connections correspond substantially with the connections indicated in the patent above referred to, for operating the presser foot of the sewing machine. Briefly described, these connections are as follows: The yoke 54 carries an arm 70 extending rearwardly and upwardly, and at the free end of the arm, a link 72 connects the arm '70 with a lever 74 pivotally mounted upon the frame of the machine. The lower end of the lever is connected to a second lever 76 by a link 78, which link has a pivotal connection with a rearwardly extending link 80. The link 80 is acted upon by a spring 82 tending to pull the lower end of the lever 76 backwardly, and through the link 78, tending .toswing the horn and its presser 36 yieldingly toward the work support. At its upper end the lever 76 is connected by a link 84 to a lever 86 which is actuated by a cam on the shaft 14. The action of the cam is to swing the lever '76 about a pivotal connection with a rod 88 to move the horn and presser towards the work support. The rod 88 is provided with a steep pitch screw, and is mounted to slide through a locking device 90 which is actuated and controlled from a cam on the shaft 14 through a cam actuated lever 92 and a connecting link 94.. When the rod is locked against forward movement by the locking device 90, the

horn and the presser disk are moved toward the work support, and the locking device prevents backward movement of the presser disk away from the work support. These connections are operated intermittently in proper timed relation with the other stitch-forming devices to release the presser disk from the work when the awl is actuated to feed the work. To permit the presser to be released manually from the work support, the lever 74 is engaged by a projection of clearance must be provided around the perimeter of the disk to prevent interference. For this purpose the disk is provided with a cylindrical surface at its edge, so that when engaging the work along portions of its conical surfaces the extreme portions of the disk will never interfere with the passage of the needle and awl. To prevent the presser disk from interfering with the needle and awl, after the work has been withdrawn from the machine, a stop screw 98 is threaded into the extension 50 of the bracket 44, and engages a finger 100 extending from the yoke 54. The position of the stop screw 98 is so adjusted that the presser disk is prevented from contacting with the needle and awl at any time.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, what is claimed is:

1. A sewing machine for uniting the beveled edges of the top part and of the side and sole part of a moccasin having, in combination, a work support having work engaging surfaces angularly disposed with relation to each other and extending in the direction of feed forming an apex to support the bevel surfaces at the edges of the top part and of the side and sole part closely in contact and alinement, stitch-forming devices comprising a needle movable across the apex of the angle formed by said work engaging surfaces of the work support, a horn pivotal- 1y mounted to turn about an approximately vertical axis and curved to extend forwardly from the machine and rearwardly toward the work support, and a presser mounted on the horn concentrically with the horn axis and having curved r work engaging surfaces parallel to the surfaces of the work support at the lines of contact to co-operate with the surfaces of the work support to hold the side and sole part and the top part in position for the passage of the needle.

2. A sewing machine for uniting the beveled edges of the top part and of the side and sole part of a moccasin having, in combination, a work support having work engaging surfaces angularly disposed with relation to each other and extending in the direction of feed forming an apex to support the bevel surfaces at the edges of the top part and of the side and sole part closely in contact and alinement, stitch-forming devices comprising a needle movable across the apex of the angle formed by said work engaging surfaces of the work support, a horn pivotally mounted to turn about an approximately vertical axis and curved to extend forwardly from the machine and rearwardly toward the work support, and a presser having work engaging surfaces rotatably mounted to turn on the horn about a fixed axis in alinement with the horn axis and shaped to cooperate with the surfaces of the work support to hold the side and sole part and the top part in position for the passage of the needle.

3. A sewing machine for uniting the beveled edges of the top part and of the side and sole part of a moccasin having, in combination, a work support having work engaging surfaces disposed with relation to each other at an acute angle and extending in the direction of feed forming an apex to support the bevel surfaces at the edges of the top part and of the side and sole part closely in contact and alinement, stitchforming devices comprising a needle movable across the apex of the angle formed by said work engaging surfaces of the work support, a horn pivotally mounted to turn about an approximately vertical axis and curved to extend forwardly from the machine and rearwardly toward the work support, and a, circular presser disc having conical work engaging surfaces rotatably mounted to turn on the horn about a fixed axis in alinement with the horn axis, the angular relation of portions of the conical surfaces nearest the work support corresponding to the angle formed by the work engaging surfaces of the work support to hold the side and sole part and the top part of the moccasin in position for the passage of the needle.

4. A sewing machine for uniting the beveled edges of the top part and of the side and sole part of a moccasin having, in combination, a work support having work engaging surfaces angularly disposed with relation to each other and extending in the direction of feed forming an apex to support the bevel surfaces at the edges of the top part and of the side and sole part closely in contact and alinement, stitch-forming devices comprising a needle movable across the apex of the angle formed by said work engaging surfaces of the work support, a horn pivotally mounted to turn about an approximately vertical axis and curved to extend forwardly from the machine and rearwardly toward the work support, a presser having curved work engaging surfaces mounted on the horn concentrically with the horn axis and shaped to cooperate with the surfaces of the work support to hold the side and sole part and the top part in position for the passage of the needle, means for actuating the stitch-forming devices and moving the work engaging surfaces on the horn towards and away from the work support to permit feeding of the work, and a stop device arranged to limit the movement of the horn toward the work support.

5. A sewing machine for uniting the beveled edges of the top part and of the side and sole part of a moccasin having, in combination, a work support having work engaging surfaces disposed at an acute angle with relation to each other and extending in the direction of feed forming an apex to support the bevel surfaces at the edges of the top part and of the side and sole part closely in contact and alinement, stitchforming devices comprising a curved needle arranged to penetrate through both thicknesses of the work approximately at the shoulders of the beveled edges, a, circular presser disk having conical work engaging surfaces and at its rim formed with a cylindrical surface to escape the needle, a horn for rotatably supporting the presser disk mounted to turn about an approximately vertical axis in alinement with the center of rotation of the disk and curved to extend forwardly from the machine and rearwardly to hold the disk in operative relation to the work support, the angular relation of portions of the conical work engaging surfaces of the presser disk nearest the work support corresponding to the angle formed by the work engaging surfaces of the work support to engage the inner surfaces of the work and hold the beveled edges in position for passage of the needle, means for actuating the stitch-forming devices and moving the work engaging surfaces of the horn towards and away from the work, and a stop device to prevent the movement of the horn beyond the point at which the cylindrical surface on the presser disk approaches the path of the needle.

FRED ASI-IWORTH. 

